"The Cincinnati Reds 1975 World Series Collector's Edition" -- A Personal Review (1 Viewer)

THE CINCINNATI REDS 1975 WORLD SERIES COLLECTOR'S EDITION








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SOME RIGHT-OFF-THE-BAT DVD STATS:

Number of DVDs -- 7 (Single-Sided).
Video -- Full Frame 1.33:1. (A few of the bonus interviews are presented in Widescreen, approx. 1.78:1.)
Audio -- English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Re-Mixed From Original Mono Source).
Color or B&W -- Color.
Subtitles -- None.
Packaging -- 7 Slim Cases With Outer Slipcase.
Any Separate Paper Enclosures Included? -- No.
List Price (MSRP) -- $69.95 (USD).
DVD Marketer(s)/Distributor(s) -- MLB Properties Inc.; A&E Home Video; New Video Group Inc.
DVD Release Date -- June 13, 2006.

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It's hard for me to imagine owning a better collectible keepsake of the stellar 1975 World Series than what A&E Home Video and Major League Baseball Properties have put together for baseball fans here -- a 7-Disc DVD compilation featuring all seven games from the original NBC-TV network telecasts (with Tony Kubek, Curt Gowdy, Joe Garagiola, and Reds' play-by-play man Marty Brennaman, among others, at the microphones calling the action).

All of these games are presented complete and uncut, with two exceptions -- a half-inning of Game 2 (top of the 2nd) and 1-and-a-half innings (plus one additional batter) of Game 3 are missing on these DVDs. Evidently that video footage could not be obtained by A&E/MLB for this collector's set.

The missing moments of Games 2 and 3, however, do not involve either team's scoring. So no big home runs, RBIs, or crucial plays are part of the AWOL footage.

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THE 1975 WORLD SERIES:

The Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox battled each other over the course of seven memorable baseball games during the fall of 1975. The Reds, managed by 41-year-old South Dakota native George "Sparky" Anderson, barely squeezed by the A.L.-champion Sox, 4 games to 3, to capture Cincy's first world-championship title since 1940.

This '75 Fall Classic is regarded by many fans as the very best and most exciting World Series ever played. Five of the seven games were decided by just a lone run (including each of the last two thrilling contests played at cozy Fenway Park in Boston).

The "Big Red Machine" of Cincinnati steamrolled its way to the National League pennant in '75, winning 108 regular-season games and then sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS in three straight. The Reds won the N.L. Western Division by an amazingly-decisive 20 games over their nearest rivals (the second-place Dodgers).

Cincinnati's imposing "starting eight" in 1975 was one of the best and most potent lineups ever put on a baseball diamond. Here's a glance at the impressive lineup that National League pitchers (and Boston's hurlers in the WS) had the difficult task of facing in '75 -- with some 1975 regular-season numbers also listed (B.A./HR/RBI):

C -- Johnny Bench (.283/28/110)
1B -- Tony Perez (.282/20/109)
2B -- Joe Morgan (.327/17/94) -- Morgan was named NL MVP in '75.
SS -- Dave Concepcion (.274/5/49)
3B -- Pete Rose (.317/7/74)
LF -- George Foster (.300/23/78)
CF -- Cesar Geronimo (.257/6/53)
RF -- Ken Griffey Sr. (.305/4/46)








The 1975 Red Sox, piloted by 47-year-old Darrell Johnson, proved to be worthy opponents for Sparky's Red Machine in the post-season (to say the least). The Bosox won 95 games during their A.L. regular campaign in '75, and they breezed past the Oakland A's in three straight playoff games (ending Oakland's chance at winning its fourth World Series title in a row following the A's "three-peat" in 1972-73-74).

Boston, like the N.L. Reds on the other side of the diamond, had their league's MVP -- 23-year-old Fred Lynn, who also doubled as the American League Rookie-of-the-Year in 1975 as well. Lynn's sparkling first-year stats in '75 included a .331 average, with 21 home runs, and 105 RBIs (plus an impressive .566 slugging percentage).

Lynn gave an indication of his productive seasons to come by way of his brief 'cup of coffee' with the Red Sox at the end of the 1974 season, when he batted .419 in 15 games (with a .698 slugging mark). But Freddie still qualified as a "rookie" in '75.

The Sox roster also featured the likes of Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans, Bill Lee, Rick Burleson, Carlton Fisk, Luis Tiant, Rico Petrocelli, Rick Wise, and Jim Rice. Rice (.309/22 HR/102 RBI in '75), fortunately for the Reds, was injured and could not play in a single game of the World Series.





By the way, Boston skipper Darrell Johnson, ironically, was a back-up catcher for the Reds for parts of two seasons (1961 and 1962), which included a career-high .315 batting average for the pennant-winning '61 Reds' squad (albeit in just 20 games; 54 AB; 1 HR).

The '75 World Series, numbers-wise, was about as evenly-matched as you could get -- with the Reds batting a collective .242 (59 base hits), while the Red Sox swung the lumber at a combined .251 clip, with 60 hits.

Other tightly-knit WS stats:

Runs Scored:
Reds 29; Sox 30.

Team ERA:
Reds 3.88; Sox 3.86.

Cincinnati third baseman Pete Rose was named the MVP for this '75 World Series. Pete batted .370 during the seven games (10-for-27), with 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and 5 walks.

I can vividly recall watching these games on television in '75, plus one game that I saw in person, which was Game #4 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Sadly, for me (being a Reds' rooter), that one turned out to be a Reds' loss, as Luis Tiant picked up his second complete-game win in the Series, defeating Cincy 5-4. A standing-room-only crowd of 55,667 crammed into Riverfront that Wednesday night (10/15/75).

Via this nice DVD set, I can now watch that fourth Series game in my living room, instead of from the seat that I occupied in Peanut Heaven (aka: the "Nosebleed Section") in left-center field at Riverfront back in '75 (Upper Deck; Aisle #339; Row 10; Seat 102). Even though that was hardly the best seat in the house, it's still a great childhood baseball memory....to have attended a game during one of the most famous World Series in baseball history.

I still have the ticket stub from that game too (the ticket cost just $10.00, which must be a drop in the bucket compared to WS ticket prices in the 21st century...even for seats up in Peanut Heaven).



For those who can remember watching all seven of these classic Reds/Red Sox battles back in 1975, this DVD Collector's Edition will easily rekindle every single memory without much prodding at all.

Memories such as:

Luis Tiant's gyrations on the mound. (Was Tiant "balking"? Sparky Anderson and the Reds thought so.)


The "Fisk/Armbrister" rhubarb in Game 3 at Riverfront Stadium. (Was it really interference? You decide. You'll see the replay a dozen times thanks to the Game-Three DVD provided in this collection.)


The persistent New England rain that resulted in a three-day delay prior to Game Six.


The two pinch-hit homers by former Red Bernie Carbo (one in Game 3 and an incredible three-run, game-tying monster shot in Game 6, that sent the Fenway Park crowd into a frenzy).


Joe Morgan's game-winning RBI blooper in Game 7.


The Dwight Evans "catch" of Joe Morgan's smash.


Tony Perez "connecting" on a super-duper Bill Lee blooper pitch in Game 7. (Lee, IMO, should have been run out of Boston town on a rail for daring to throw that ridiculous circus-like pitch in Game #7 of a World Series to ANY member of the "Big Red Machine". It was a bomb ready to explode in Lee's face. And it did.)


George Foster's throw from left field to Johnny Bench in Game 6 to nail Denny Doyle at the plate. (I can vividly recall the ecstasy of seeing the umpire's "out" call to complete this double play and keep Game 6 tied.)


Cesar Geronimo squeezing Carl Yastrzemski's lofty fly ball to center field for the final out in Game 7.


And, of course, The "Please Stay Fair" Home Run .... i.e., Carlton Fisk's Game-Six walk-off clout off the foul pole to knot the Series at 3-3.



And it's all here in this comprehensive DVD set from A&E/MLB. Every game. Every clutch hit. Every home run. (Sans the TV commercials; those have not been included here.)

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THE DVDs AND THE PACKAGING:

The packaging, the look, and the overall presentation for this 7-Disc DVD Collector's Edition is first-class all the way down the line. It couldn't possibly be any better, IMO.



Each of the seven World Series games gets its own separate single-sided disc, with attractive bright-red disc art.

The video quality for all of these games looks fairly decent in most places to me, being limited, of course, by the age of the decades-old original (taped) source material. Close-up shots are definitely more pleasing and clear than the longer, more-distant camerawork (which does look quite fuzzy and blurry at times, with a lot of "ghosting" of the image); and all of these games will no doubt look better on a smaller TV screen. The bigger your monitor, the more digital annoyances you're likely to see. But, overall, I'm pleased with the PQ here.

Some screen captures:







Unlike baseball telecasts nowadays, you're not going to find all of the flashy graphics or the constant barrage of detailed stats on your screen in these '75 games. Baseball broadcasts in 1975 were much "quieter" and less frenetic, with less moving around of the camera and far fewer instant replays (and no "Fox Box" telling you the score up in the corner all the time).

The screen ratio for these games is the original Full-Frame television ratio of 1.33:1, as it should be. Audio is supplied by more-than-adequate-sounding Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtracks. (Evidently, per the packaging, the audio is in "2.0 Stereo"; but it sounds about the same as 2.0 Mono for the actual game coverage.)

One negative factor to these DVDs, IMO, is the ever-present "MLB" watermark (logo) that has been placed in the upper right-hand corner of the screen throughout this entire DVD set. I can't say I really like that logo being stuck up there 100% of the time. However, at least it's not too intrusive, and it blends fairly well into the background (because the watermark used here is a transparent one).

The Packaging:

Click here for a close-up look.

Each disc/(game) gets its own slim (clear) plastic case. The covers for the seven cases are jam-packed with all kinds of fun facts, trivia, and '75 Series statistics. These "SleeveStats" also provide the complete box score for each Series game, printed right on the back of each game's case.

Plus, on the inside of each case, the play-by-play for each and every inning of that game is printed out. So, at a glance, you can see what every batter did in each of these WS games.

A tremendous amount of work and detail and research has obviously gone into creating the "SleeveStats" for these DVD covers. There's so much text, data, and fun stuff on these cases, just reading all of the info on them takes an hour or more.

And the box scores on these DVD covers put my homemade, handwritten-in-pencil box scores of the same games to shame. It's kind of fun, however, to go through my own handmade scorecards for these games (that I created when the World Series was playing out on live TV in '75) and compare them to the DVD's stats and to the real-time action when watching the games on these discs.

All seven slim cases fit comfortably into a very nice outer slipcase box (which is also brimming with additional statistics and trivia). And this outer carton is not any flimsy, tissue-paper-thin throwaway box either. It's constructed way better than that. It's very durable, heavy, and sturdy. "New Video" (which distributed this set for A&E Home Video in the USA), in fact, has been very good about supplying well-constructed boxes for its multi-disc (or multi-VHS tape) sets. And this one is just perfect, and is certainly one DVD box that should be able to stand the test of time.

I appreciate the effort that went into producing this collectible boxed set. It has the look and feel of a genuine "keepsake". Plus, the accuracy and attention to small details that can be found on these DVD cases is also impressive, right down to listing the "Game Time Temperature" for each of the seven Series contests.

The perfection of this DVD set, for me, even extends to the type of slim cases used to hold the discs. I'm kind of a persnickety fusspot when it comes to packaging and case types, and the slim cases utilized here are (IMO) the best brand out there. They hold the discs firmly, but not like a vise. The DVDs are very easily removed from their holders/hubs. I'm not sure of the exact brand name of this case type, but the ones in the set I received are by far my favorite brand. (I'm assuming all other copies of this product have the same type of inner cases included; but that might not always be true, given the vast number of DVD case manufacturers in existence.)

I haven't been able to spot any errors of any major substance when reading these info-packed DVD covers. I have noted a couple of very minor errors, however, including an incorrect date shown for the no-hitter that Rick Wise threw against the Reds. The DVD case indicates that Wise tossed that no-no in 1972. It actually occurred in 1971 (06/23/71).

And what makes that particular no-hit game so extra-special is the fact that Wise also hit TWO home runs in the contest -- which made that game one of THE most spectacular "one-man shows" in baseball history (a fact that I think is often overlooked by historians). Rick Wise was a one-player wrecking crew that night at Riverfront Stadium.

Luckily for the Reds, Mr. Wise (a member of the Red Sox in 1975) wasn't able to repeat his no-hit performance during his one '75 WS start. The Reds tagged him for 5 runs in 4.1 innings in Game 3. Wise, however, did pick up the win in the infamous Game #6 at Fenway Park.

Another small mistake on the packaging (and on the DVD Menus) involves the spelling of Cincinnati radio announcer Marty Brennaman's last name. Marty's name is misspelled more than one time on the boxes and the Menus. I'm guessing, though, that Marty is probably accustomed to that type of error re. his name. I can relate to that type of thing myself.

Still more info on this DVD set:

www.newvideo.com/images/restricted/AAE72940.pdf




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BONUS MATERIALS:

A few nice bonus items are part of this exquisite boxed set too. All of these extras are located on the "Game 7" disc. There are 30 individual "Bonus Clips", mainly consisting of short 1-to-2-minute interview segments with the players that were recorded in the last few years.

But in addition to the newer, contemporary interviews, there are a few vintage 1975 pre-game and post-game interview snippets on tap here as well -- including an interview with Carlton Fisk just after he smacked his never-to-be-forgotten home run in Game 6.

There's no "Play All" option for these thirty Bonus Clips, which would have been useful here I think. But, instead, returning to the "Bonus" Sub-Menu is required to view the clips individually.

There are two other short bonus items on Disc 7 that I very much enjoyed seeing -- "Downtown Rally" (1:07 in length) and "Introducing 'The Big Red Machine'" (1:48).

The "Rally" bonus was filmed in downtown Cincinnati in late October 1975. The victory celebration clip features Commissioner Bowie Kuhn's presentation of the World Series trophy and a few comments made by Reds' players.

The "Introducing" bonus consists of Reds' player introductions before one of the three games played at Riverfront Stadium. Long-time Cincinnati P.A. announcer Paul Sommerkamp is the voice heard here.

In addition to the above-mentioned bonus items, the Reds' post-game clubhouse celebration (with NBC-TV interviews) is also included on Disc 7. That clubhouse footage isn't found in the "Bonus" area of the disc, but instead can be located at the end of the regular Game-Seven telecast on Disc Seven. And I'm very glad that was included in this package, because it puts the proper "We're #1" cap on the Reds' great 115-win 1975 season.

The clubhouse footage features some classic Reds' interviews too....especially Marty Brennaman's fine interviews with Series MVP Pete Rose and the super-excited and voice-cracking Johnny Bench. Rose's comment about how he felt like he was about to "have a coronary" due to the intense excitement of Game 7 always cracks me up.

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OTHER DVD INFO:

Total Running Time (All Discs) -- Approx. 17.25 hours (not counting the extra bonus features).

Menus -- The Interactive Menus are very well-designed. A brief intro/montage of "Reds' Baseball Action" has been integrated into the Main Menu (upon initial disc load-up only). No music. Menu choices: "Play Ball!" (to start watching that disc's game) and "Inning Selection". An additional option for "Bonus Clips" is present for Disc 7 only.

The "Inning Selection" area is very cool, exhibiting a nifty "baseball-flavored" design. When going to the "Inning" Sub-Menu, the full inning-by-inning line score for that game is visible (including the final "Runs-Hits-Errors" totals). A "baseball" icon enables the user to navigate within the line score, with any half-inning being selectable.

The Main Menu screens for all discs are colorful and look great on a big 50-inch screen....especially the bright and cheerful Cincinnati Reds' "wishbone C" (circa 1970s) logo, which features good ol' #27 running inside the logo. (#27 being the then-Reds' mascot, known as "Mister Red". Interestingly, during the years when this cool-looking team logo was being used, the Reds never assigned a real player the number "27". It was reserved exclusively for "Mister Red".)



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A FINAL GLOWING RECOMMENDATION:

A "Big Red Machine"-era Cincinnati Reds' fan (or anyone who appreciates darn-good baseball) can't help but be excited about this excellent DVD set of virtually-uncut games, highlighting one of the greatest World Series of all time.

"The Cincinnati Reds 1975 World Series Collector's Edition" is destined to be one of my most-treasured DVDs ever purchased.

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RELATED LINKS AND PHOTOS:

A&E and MLB have produced some other multi-disc boxed sets too. You can have a look at them here:

Major League Baseball

http://newvideo.com/images/restricted/AAE74722.pdf



""The Cincinnati Reds 1975 World Series Collector's Edition" is the seventh DVD set released as part of a three-year distribution agreement between Major League Baseball Productions and A&E Home Video. For a complete list of the other releases, visit The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Productions: MLB Productions. A&E Home Video, through its home video distribution partner New Video Group, will distribute approximately four titles produced by Major League Baseball Productions each year."

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1975 World Series by Baseball Almanac

Cincinnati Reds, The: 1975 World Series Collector's Edition

Amazon.com: The Cincinnati Reds 1975 World Series (Collector's Edition): Carlton Fisk,Johnny Bench,Boston Red Sox: Movies & TV

http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/1049567h.jpg

http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/1049567bh.jpg

A "Which Forum Is Best For This Particular Item?" note.........

I was in a bit of a quandary as to which HTF Forum to post this thread in. It could technically go in the "TV Software" area of HTF too (since all of the video on these 7 discs is derived from "TV" footage)....but I decided (after an agonizing session of incessant coin-flipping, which numbered into the hundreds of total 'flips' ) that its more-proper locality was in the "Films & Documentary" arena.

The official definition of the Forums helped me decide as well (plus sixteen more coin flips to boot). The Film/Docu. section definition says......

"All things DVD are discussed here (with the exception of TV Shows on DVD)..."

Please don't tell Pete Rose I was gambling with those coin flips. He might not approve of such tactics.

(Sorry, Pete...that was cruel. )

As always, that's another outstanding DVD review, David. I was almost 9 when this Series took place, and I watched most of the games on TV. I can't remember now if I saw Fisk's 12th-inning homer live or if my first memory of it was from a news clip soon afterward. That would have been kind of late for me to be staying up, at that time.

That Series made me a serious baseball fan, especially of playoff/Series games, and I was glued to the set for practically every postseason game from that point until well into my college years. Plus, the '75-'76 Reds were the first (and maybe the last) teams for which I could name every starting position player, and I wasn't even from Cincy. The growth of free agency has made this task nearly impossible for any team today.

Those baseball cards bring back memories too. Aren't some of those from the set that Topps issued in the normal size and a harder-to-find smaller size?

I do remember a pregame feature on either a '75 or '76 Series broadcast involving a bubble-gum bubble-blowing contest. I recall Johnny Bench blowing a bubble that was bigger than his head. Is that on this '75 set?

David, despite what you say this thread belongs in the HT Software/TV Shows section. These games -- and how I remember them, whoa! -- were broadcast on television. (Man, that sixth game ...)

Well, as I also said, I was in a quandary about which of the two forums to utilize in this instance. Guess I picked the wrong one, despite this specific instruction on the Film DVD Forum:

"All things DVD are discussed here (with the exception of TV Shows on DVD)..."

But....I guess a baseball game can, indeed, be considered a "TV Show".

No. Nothing like that is on the '75 set that I saw. That contest does sound familiar however. Although I would have guessed it was from a regular-season game, instead of putting that on a post-season game.

The Reds did a lot of cool things for the fans at Riverfront in those days -- e.g., "Autograph Booths" (I have several of those cards with player sigs on them); plus you could arrive early at the stadium and get a voucher to have your picture taken with a Reds' player. I did that twice; with Jack Billingham in 1972 and reserve outfielder Larry Stahl in 1973 -- "Larry who?" did you ask?? LOL. Don't blame you; he wasn't around long; an ex-Padre too.

Riverfront also did "Teen Nights" (teens could buy tickets for, get this, fifty cents! ). And "Camera Days", where you got to go on the field and take pics of the players. And, of course, "Fan Appreciation Day" on the last day of the season, which had fans winning lots of prizes. I never won though, despite attending a couple of those.

I think, though, that "Poster Day" might have been my favorite Riverfront/Cincinnati promotion. I can recall the great (full-sized) Johnny Bench poster I got for free...showing John's swing as he hit Dave Giusti's misplaced change-up beyond the right-field fence to tie up Game 5 of the 1972 NLCS at Riverfront.

You can listen to that great Reds' moment (via Al Michaels' radio call) all you want by simply refreshing the home page at J.B.'s website...here:

The Official Website of Johnny Bench - MLB Hall of Fame Catcher - JohnnyBench.com

I would LOVE to see this set! To relive those two teams--and great ones they both were--and be able to compare batter-by-batter how these teams compare to some of the better teams of recent vintage will be a fun task! Personally, I would welcome the opportunity to get a chance to see bleepin' Joe Morgan back on the field. I never remember being particularly impressed with Morgan as a player...but if you listen to him talk he thinks quite highly of his on-the-field performance.

Of course I was just 16 years old when I remember staying up VERY late to watch Game 6 all the way through to the end and watch Fisk "will" the ball fair. Of course, being a diehard Red Sox fan...we already knew it was all just a set-up to allow for a game seven loss.

Thanks Mike. And thanks Dan, too.


Well, Mike, you don't win back-to-back MVP awards by being a Mario Mendoza. Of course it helped that Rose and Griffey preceded him in the lineup every day, enabling his giant 111-RBI total in '76.

But I'd certainly rather WATCH Little Joe in action on the field than LISTEN to him in the TV booth. I still cannot fathom how on this Earth Joe has managed to keep his job as a color commentator all these many (many) years behind the mike. He is (IMHO), without doubt, one of the worst baseball broadcasters I have ever heard.

Others might disagree (as is their right), but Joe is stiff as cardboard in the booth, and over-analyzes every single thing occurring on the diamond. I think he'd telestrate the hot-dog vendor's movements if he was given half a chance -- i.e.: "Jon {Miller}, you can see here that the vendor's positioning for accepting that $2.90 from the patron was NOT what you'd expect to see from a veteran vendor here at Wrigley Field. He was off-balance, and hence dropped two quarters, causing considerable mental anguish to him and his two sick, starving infants being fed through tubes at his rat-infested home on the North Side. Let's now look at that again on the JumboTron, Jon...."

Sorry, Joe. You sure could flap that "wing" though while making N.L. hurlers miserable.

Gee, I've now insulted two of my favorite Reds' players in this thread -- Pete and Little Joe. I'll never get their autographs now. (Oops...I already got Joe's; in '72.)

Now, David...let the record reflect that I'm not the one who compared the Mighty Morgan to Mario Mendoza...BUT...if you consider that Morgan's lifetime BA is just 71 points above the Mendoza line...

He also only hit .300 in those two MVP campaigns of '75 & '76. But I think I'm marching solidly off-topic. I envy you watching those games again.

Maybe Morgan's numbers would've been better with more time at Crosley Field!

True. But he hit .290 or better in the 3 seasons preceding those MVP years, to boot.

Plus....It's not just Joe's data at the dish to be weighed when speaking of Lil' Joseph....his great fielding and base-stealing prowess must also be examined and weighed as well. Plus his general leadership skills between the white lines, as well as in the clubhouse.

The Reds, in fact, had so MANY "leaders", it must have been difficult for one to stand out above the others in those 70s heydays. .... Perez ("Mr. Consistency"), Bench ("The Little General"), Rose ("Charlie Hustle"), and to a lesser degree Foster ("Yahtzee").

Speaking of nicknames, the Foster nickname reminded me of something.....Anybody ever own a game called the "APBA MLB Game"? It consisted of cards for every ML player, and you could build a really accurate profile of teams and complete seasons with this game.

Anyway, the APBA card for George Foster listed his nickname as "Fearless Fos", which always struck me as humorous for some reason, because I've never heard that anywhere except in that game.

Don't know the game. Strat-O-Matic was the game of choice in my neighborhood. Never heard of "Fearless Fos" either. Sounds like a rip of Dick Tracy's "Fearless Fosdick".

What was Armbrister's nickname? George "Oops, am I in your way?" Armbrister?!

Dan.......

You are exactly correct.

I've been in touch with a fan who's "in the know" re. all things "vintage" like this, and he tells me that such a bubble-gum contest did take place prior to Game 3 of the '75 WS at Cincy....with the Brewers' Kurt Bevacqua (a former Red btw) taking first prize, edging out Johnny Oates.*

* = The above DVP clarification brought to you by "Schoenling Lager Beer", a Cincinnati staple since God only knows what year.

Possibly...but "Ed" Armbrister might be offended at being called "George".

I was in the joint for game 7, I can't believe were the time went. My dad bought 2 standing room tickets ($6 each) for $75 from a scalper out front of the ballpark 10 minutes or so before the game. I am looking at the ticket stubs as I write this. I would not be surprised if there were over 40,000 people in Fenway Park that night (seating at the time was about 35,000). Every fire code in the book must have been broken that night if there even were fire codes at the time at Fenway. It was a mass of humanity with standing room people standing shoulder to shoulder where we were in the right field grandstand. People were sitting on the stairs between sections. All I have to say is the Sox should have won. If Jim Rice had played they would have done it. When Johnson removed Willoughby and brought in a rookie Jim Burton we knew the Sox were toast. What a great series! Like you David VP I can always say I attended a game in the greatest World Series ever. Excellent review, this however will be a rental only. On a side note, may every copy of the 1986 set have DVD Rot .

(Maybe I shouldn't press my luck and ask what Dean thinks of the N.Y. Yankees. The response might make a sailor blush.)

Great memories, guys. The 1975 Series was the first I ever followed as a kid, and remember much of it vividly, as if it were just yesterday.

These A&E World Series sets seem like a great deal. I would love to have full broadcasts of the classic series on DVD. I believe they have only issued the 1975, 1979, 1986, 2004, and 2005 series as full sets. I really hope they will get around to doing more - the 1980, 1983 and 1993 series in particular interest me since I'm a Phillies fan. I hope these sell well enough to encourage A&E/MLB to do more.

Those baseball card scans are a lot of fun to see, David. Much like yourself, I had great memories of collecting those very same Topps cards as a kid. Out of sheer nostalgia, about five years ago I got into collecting those same Topps card sets again and (via Ebay) managed to eventually obtain/put together the complete sets from 1973 all the way through 2000. But the ones from the early/mid-1970's (as you scanned in) are my favorites. It was great fun recollecting them, albeit a bit expensive.

For me (and I guess to a lot of you other guys) the 1970's will always be the "golden age" of baseball.

Hi Roy. Thanks for your post.

Since you're a Phillies' fan, you might be interested in this DVD set (if you're not aware of it already), which has some complete Phils' NLCS/WS games on it. .......

http://www.hartsharpvideo.com/catalo...nniversary.php

http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.js...entPage=family

http://shop.mlb.com/family/index.jsp...776&cp=1452362



I agree with you, though...I, too, hope MLB/A&E releases more vintage "Complete" WS sets. And, I'm quite confident they will. After all, these A&E full-WS sets are really brand-new (for the most part). So they're probably just starting.

Although we fans of the older "vintage" 60s/70s World Series must also consider the fact that many of those older games are simply not available in the MLB archives. Some selected games can be plucked from the hard-core "collector's" market I think, but lots of the older games, I fear, are lost forever. Which is a shame indeed.

However, I would settle for a few "incomplete" sets of some of the World Series, if that's all there is.

How appropriate!

Yes indeedy.
That Davey Concepcion card I linked above really brings back the memories. That's a 1972 Topps card. That was before I sent away for full-season sets in the mail. Which meant doing the next best thing...i.e., traipsing to the 5-&-Dime to buy individual packs of 10 (15 maybe?) cards and hope for a "new" one...instead of six more "John Boccabellas" or "Denny Riddlebergers". (Not that John Bocc-a-bellllla, as the Montreal announcer used to drone out, was a bad player or anything; he was a good ML catcher back in the day.)

But when you need the "Johnny Bench In Action" card....

http://www.zeprock.com/Ben5.jpg

....and you end up with a "Leron Lee", a "Larry Biittner" (a future Cincinnati Red, however), and a "Winston Llenas", it can be disappointing to a young-un.

Now this is really weird......

Why did Topps issue a 1972 card of Joe Morgan as an Astro; but one with Lee May the same year as an Astro too? They were traded on the same day, for each other, in Nov. '71. Strange. But kinda cool too.

And remember how they would "paint" over the since-traded player's helmet or cap to make it look like the player was really wearing his new team's uniform & hat?

You can't fool me with such photoshopping. Look at Lee May's helmet. It's a Reds' helmet, with a cockeyed Houston "star" logo painted in. Oh, the humanities! .......